諺語 · a single proverb
一口吃不成胖子
What does 一口吃不成胖子 (yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi) mean?
一口吃不成胖子 (yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "you can't get fat from one mouthful." In use it means: Big results do not come from single efforts. Growth is cumulative, meal by meal, day by day. Expecting transformation from one attempt is asking physics to skip steps. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "you can't get fat from one mouthful."
The reading
One workout does not make you strong. One book does not make you wise. One apology does not make you forgiven. Everything worth having is built one mouthful at a time over a timeline that feels too long while you are in it and too short when you look back at it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb 民間諺語; northern Chinese saying
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一口吃不成胖子 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一口吃不成胖子 (yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from folk proverb 民間諺語; northern Chinese saying. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 一口吃不成胖子?
In Mandarin it is yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一口吃不成胖子 aloud in Mandarin.